I have been trying to get my printer calibrated for a couple months now, but no matter what I do I can't get it to print right. All software prints the same. The infills never touch the sides, and the y axis doesn't seem to move as much as it should. This is supposed to be a 45 adapter. Not only does the center not print round, The inside never fills, by a long shot. What could be the issue?!
Hi W9jds,
By looking at the center of the 45 adapter, it looks to me that the belts are not thight enough. If this would be the case, then is circle will never be a good circle and lines will not touch well.
The following link might give you some understanding. I had a kind of the same issue and found out that my y-axis stepper belt didn't had enough tension.
Regards,
Bas.
Netherlands.
Thanks! Yea, I found this late last night:
So I tightened them. I am closer now, but I can't seem to get it 100 perfect. Those screws to tighten the y belts don't seem to be long enough. Still seem to be slightly loose.
Thanks again!
What is backlash?
Backlash can be described as the maximum distance or angle through which any part of a mechanical system may be moved in one direction without applying appreciable force or motion to the next part in mechanical sequence.
In the context of 3D printers it is can be observed when the printer tries to change direction and fail to some degree to change direction efficiently enough.
The cause for backlash can be due to any of the following things or a combination of them:
The belts are
Worn out
Not tight enough
The pulleys are
Worn out
Not fastened on the guide rod
Note: If the Y and X axis are not perpendicular to each other you might get something which is similar to backlash but this is something different. Look in your manual on the under the headline “
Symptoms of backlash
Circles are elongated or squarish, ie not round.
The Infill does not touch the parameters.
If you have backlash on the Y or X-axis any hole or circle you print be flatter along the X axis (towards the front of the printer). This means that you have backlash on the Y-axis. It could also result in the infill not touching the perimeters.
If the timing belts are loose or if the pulleys are worn you will notice a slight movement even when the motors are locked in place. Make sure that:
The first thing to do is to check the tension of the belts on the axis with the backlash.
Also make sure that the belts are not worn out.
Check the pulleys so that they are grub screws in the pulley are tightened.
Feel if the hot end and extruders are fastened properly (hold the pulley on the motor and move the hot end by hand)
Make sure that the X and Y linear guides making up the axes are perpendicular.
Add the backlash compensation command to the Gcode
In the start of G-code of Slic3r or the slicing software you use, enter the command:
M99 X0 Y0.2 Z0 E0
The “Y0.2” stands for 0.2 mm of backlash being compensated for on the Y-axis.
Enter the value and use the Materia101_test_print.zip from our support site to see if the value inserted is the correct one to remove the backlash from the axis permanently.
If you are using a program, like Repetier Host or Pronterface, to run your printer, enter the following command to see you current backlash settings in the log:
M98
How to look for backlash
The most efficient way of looking for backlash is to make the printer print the infill orthogonal to the perimeters. That is why we will use this space invader with only vertical and horizontal angles.
The right amount of backlash correction?
The only way of getting this right is to print one file over and over. Observe the difference between the prints and adjust the backlash compensation on the appropriate axis.
Not enough
If there is still a gap between the infill and the perimeters. But only on the Y axis and towards the inside of the printer. Try and add a little to the Y in the M99 command, 0.3 should be enough.
Too much
If the hysteresis on the Y axis is set to:
M99 X0 Y1 Z0 E0
That is 1 mm, which is too much. It gives the effect of the horizontal lines end up being not perpendicular to the vertical. I also think this plays with the fact that the two belt on my Materia were not equally tight.
My two cents: make sure the pulleys are tightened on the axes and that the pulley teeth are aligned as much as possible. In the past I had similar problems (of smaller amplitude) due to my two y-axis pulleys being misaligned, and thus producing a different tension on the two belts.
This is turn caused a torque being applied on the y carriage that made it not perpendicular to the other axis anymore. The y carriage should be exactly perpendicular to the y rods.
Other than that, I can only suggest, as already said, to tighten your belts, in particular the ones directly connected to the stepper motors, by moving the motors along the slots in which their screws lie as far as possible.
If you still need help I can send you a gcode already tested on my (almost 
) calibrated printer so that we can compare results.
dp_1